Bigfattyt
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2007
- Messages
- 19,280
(if this is the wrong place to post these sorry, I tried in the knife maker's gallery, but it would not let me start a thread, so I guess that is only for real knife makers).
So, after a year, I finally finished my first knife (only had stolen moments to work on it). You may remember very early posts with progress shots.
The steel is 5160 from this forum. The thickness started at .25. All the shaping was done with hand files.
I heat treated in my tiny grill, and did a "shade tree" heat treat. I took it to non magnetic, for a few, then quenched it in mystery oil (following a tutorial I had read before). I then tempered twice for an hour each at 400 degrees F.
The handle is G11 (if I remember from the description).
Pins are brass. My drill broke, and I had to drill the handle scales with an old hand crank drill. I used 2 ton epoxie on the handles, and gave it a mustard patina. The only part done with a machine, was finished the shaping on the handles with a 1x30 belt sander I just got (man did that save some time and elbow grease, but I did make some mistakes on the already finished parts of the handle, kind of roughed it up in a few spots).
I did sharpen with the slack belt, but finished it on sand paper/mouse pad, then strop. I need to improve on sharpening on a slack belt, I rounded the tip and edge a smidge. They used to be perfectly straight, now a tiny bit rounded at the very corners.
I won't likely try another sub hilt design, till I get better. It really took a one time to hog that finger hole out with a rat tail file.
I made a sheath from two pieces of scrap leather. I wet molded it, but was not patient enough to wait and see if the sheath tightened up enough as it dried out (I made it at midnight, and had to catch a plane in the morning, so I was in a hurry). You can see where I clamped it down with some c clamps, without enough padding to keep the clamp marks from showing. I tightened it too much too. But the sheath is a nice firm hold.
Size comparison (with 3 inch Busse Game Warden)
So, after a year, I finally finished my first knife (only had stolen moments to work on it). You may remember very early posts with progress shots.
The steel is 5160 from this forum. The thickness started at .25. All the shaping was done with hand files.
I heat treated in my tiny grill, and did a "shade tree" heat treat. I took it to non magnetic, for a few, then quenched it in mystery oil (following a tutorial I had read before). I then tempered twice for an hour each at 400 degrees F.
The handle is G11 (if I remember from the description).
Pins are brass. My drill broke, and I had to drill the handle scales with an old hand crank drill. I used 2 ton epoxie on the handles, and gave it a mustard patina. The only part done with a machine, was finished the shaping on the handles with a 1x30 belt sander I just got (man did that save some time and elbow grease, but I did make some mistakes on the already finished parts of the handle, kind of roughed it up in a few spots).
I did sharpen with the slack belt, but finished it on sand paper/mouse pad, then strop. I need to improve on sharpening on a slack belt, I rounded the tip and edge a smidge. They used to be perfectly straight, now a tiny bit rounded at the very corners.
I won't likely try another sub hilt design, till I get better. It really took a one time to hog that finger hole out with a rat tail file.
I made a sheath from two pieces of scrap leather. I wet molded it, but was not patient enough to wait and see if the sheath tightened up enough as it dried out (I made it at midnight, and had to catch a plane in the morning, so I was in a hurry). You can see where I clamped it down with some c clamps, without enough padding to keep the clamp marks from showing. I tightened it too much too. But the sheath is a nice firm hold.
Size comparison (with 3 inch Busse Game Warden)
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